Malaysian PM Denounces Reported Koran Desecration

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has denounced alleged incidents of desecration of the Koran by soldiers at a U.S. terrorist detention center.

Mr. Abdullah, the current chairman of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, said the reported desecration was a humiliation to all Muslims.

Angry protests about the Koran incidents that allegedly took place at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, broke out in a number of Muslim states last week. In Afghanistan alone, 14 people died and more than 100 were injured.

A story in the U.S. magazine Newsweek that triggered the outbursts has not yet been confirmed or substantiated. The magazine said staff at the U.S. military detention center tried to upset prisoners before interrogation sessions by defacing copies of the Koran and leaving them in toilet cubicles. The Newsweek account did not identify anyone involved, nor did it say when the supposed desecration had occurred.

Senior American military officials say they found no record of such activities at the Guantanamo detention center. The United States has promised a full investigation.